Otto's Bluff - Reviewed in TREAD launch issue | Autumn 2009

Otto’s Bluff
By Gary Perkin

REGION: KwaZulu-Natal
CLOSEST TOWN/CITY: Pietermaritzburg
TRAIL DESCRIPTION: This one is for the more adventurous as it isn’t a marked trail, but more of a vast network of small forestry and district roads. Otto’s Bluff takes you out beyond the more famous of Pietermaritzburg rides – Ferncliffe and World’s View. The Otto’s Bluff road proper takes you up above the city of Pietermaritzburg and into the rolling Kwa-Zulu Natal hills to where the 1937 epic, King Solomon’s Mines was filmed. Another fact for history buffs is that the author of the eponymous book, H Rider Haggard, worked as a learner farmer on the Otto’s farm which gives the area its name.
The main peak in the area is called Kwela in Zulu, which means ‘climb on’... so this gives you an indication of what you’ll be up against if you go with the typical Maritzburg MTB crowd.
Most rides begin in the Ferncliffe/Cascades area then traverse up through the hatcheries to the Otto’s Bluff Road – and this means climbing all the way. But we all know that means descending on the way back home ... so it’s worth the effort. The views over the top are spectacular, taking in Albert Falls Dam and the surrounding hills – but the mist and fog can roll in at a moment’s notice, so be prepared.
DISTANCE: As with most trails in the Pietermaritzburg area, the distance you ride is up to you or how frisky your companions are feeling. By linking many different roads and paths it’s quite easy to be out all day here ... and also possible to vary it into a quick 1hr30min after–work burn.
NOVICE: 2/10
INTERMEDIATE: 5/10
ADVANCED: 8/10
TYRES: In summer be prepared for mud - and lots of it.
BEST THING: The ability to extend the ride as far as you want and tailor it to your time schedule.
WORST THING: Mud in summer.
BEST SEASON: Winter is better, as in the height of summer some of these trails will be waterlogged and extremely muddy. But the locals will know where to go.
GET THERE: You’ll need to get some locals to show you these trails as they are unmarked. Contact one of the bike shops in town: Greg Minnaar Racing in Boom Street, Hattons in Boshoff Street, Jowetts in Victoria Road and Maverick in Cascades and Hilton. Chat to the local mountain bikers and find out what organised outrides are happening. There are also after-work group rides that hit these trails so be sure to ask around.
COST: None
SECURE PARKING: No
BE CAREFUL OF... getting lost in the mist – it comes down quickly and is very thick.
BE SURE TO... ride in a bunch.
CONTACT: Greg Minnaar Racing 033 3420095; Hattons Cycles
033 3422050; Jowetts 033 3941421, Maverick in Hilton / Cascades
033 343 4512